This post has absolutely nothing to do with basketball and has no business being on this blog.
Except...
About four and a half years ago I went to Philadelphia to see the Wizards play the Philadelphia 76ers. The morning after the game and before splitting town, we walked down to Pat's King of Steaks for my first ever real true authentic Philly cheesesteak sandwich and it was just incredible. Pat's can, by all accounts and based on my research on the subject, trace its lineage back to the origin of the cheesesteak when they started selling steak and onion sandwiches. There's maybe some debate about when exactly (and even possibly who exactly) added cheese to the sandwich. But steak and Philly? Pat's is it.
Pat's is a dominant force in the cheesesteak culture in Philadelphia. There's only one place that can claim any sort of equivalency to Pat's in that town and that's Geno's, which sits right across from Pat's on the same intersection down at South 9th and East Passyunk. THE debate in Philadelphia about these sandwiches is...Pat's or Geno's?
Oh, and the cheese debate? Geno's claims they put the cheese in cheesesteak. I guess before Geno's (again, according to Geno's) folks in Philly were just eating steak sandwiches.
Oh, and the cheese debate? Geno's claims they put the cheese in cheesesteak. I guess before Geno's (again, according to Geno's) folks in Philly were just eating steak sandwiches.
When I visited Pat's on that cold March morning of 2014, I wrote that if I ever made it back to Philadelphia, maybe I'd give Geno's a try. Well, this past weekend I made it back. My excuse for being in town? Not really important, but since I mentioned it: an unmissable opportunity to see the Electric Light Orchestra in concert (they skipped D.C.). Had to be there.
So...I was in Philly and said I'd give Geno's a try if I was ever back in town. Let's go to Geno's!
So...I was in Philly and said I'd give Geno's a try if I was ever back in town. Let's go to Geno's!
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| The line at Geno's. Just like Pat's it's outdoors and pretty darned quick. Cheesesteak coming up quick! |
Check out of the hotel at 11 and we are in an Uber at about 11:05 or so headed south with our driver Moises, a guy who by his own account was born and raised in Philly. Moises asked are we from Philly? Umm...no, headed out of town that same day and figured we'd get a cheesesteak on our way home. Next question from Moises...you going to Pat's? No again. Geno's. Moises has been in town 47 years and has never been to Geno's. He has no idea if Pat's is the best steak in town but he knows they are good. As do we from our visit in 2014.
We leave Moises right outside Pat's. Or maybe more accurately, Moises leaves us. A couple of minutes later we are in line outside Geno's waiting for lunch. Pat's is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So is Geno's. Pat's serves up Philly steaks in a couple of minutes. So does Geno's. Pat's has tables outside near the street. So does Geno's. Pat's has Cheez Whiz on their sandwiches and free cherry peppers for the taking. So does Geno's. So far, so good. Both places have what we need. And for emphasis here, Philly cheesesteaks come with Whiz. You can get other cheeses if you want. But you shouldn't. We get ours with Whiz and sit down.
First impression? The meat isn't chopped the way it is at Pat's. I'm not sure when I unwrap my sandwich if that's good or bad but I know I can see steak hanging out the side of the bread (that's good; I mean after all I ordered a steak sandwich, right?) and it looks cooked, although maybe a touch dry. But I got a sandwich loaded with Whiz, onions and peppers. Let's dig in!
Whether you choose to believe what you are about to read is your choice. Yes, it's been over four years since I'd had my last cheesesteak in Philadelphia but I swear my memory of what I ate back in February of 2014 over at Pat's is pretty spot on.
I say to you now...the chopping of the meat is pretty darned important. Chopping the meat as Pat's does allows the onions and the Cheez Whiz (yes, the Whiz is applied after the meat is in the roll) to mingle and coagulate in the most delicious way. Geno's is missing this synergy for most of their sandwich. Were there times when the steak, grease, onions and Whiz came together in perfect harmony at Geno's? You bet. For sure! There were some amazing bites. But it wasn't like Pat's four years ago. I know this to be true. Consistency is important. And our sandwiches this past Saturday morning were missing that. Don't get me wrong here. If I had only Geno's steaks to eat for the rest of my life, I wouldn't turn them down. But...
Pat's is better.
There you have it. My take on the Pat's or Geno's debate. I'm a Pat's guy. Next time I'm in Philly and I'm looking for a steak and cheese sandwich, I'm headed to Pat's.
I should note in a twist of I-told-you-so type irony, we chose a table near the corner of Ninth and Passyunk and I sat on the south facing side, meaning I was staring straight at Pat's for my entire meal. Next time, I'll know better.
If you are paying attention and care about the contents of this blog I know I said I wasn't going to blog at all in this thing this summer. This isn't exactly about the Wizards and waiting a couple of months to say I had a cheesesteak in Philadelphia in mid-August just seemed strange. So there you go. See you in September when training camp opens.
We leave Moises right outside Pat's. Or maybe more accurately, Moises leaves us. A couple of minutes later we are in line outside Geno's waiting for lunch. Pat's is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So is Geno's. Pat's serves up Philly steaks in a couple of minutes. So does Geno's. Pat's has tables outside near the street. So does Geno's. Pat's has Cheez Whiz on their sandwiches and free cherry peppers for the taking. So does Geno's. So far, so good. Both places have what we need. And for emphasis here, Philly cheesesteaks come with Whiz. You can get other cheeses if you want. But you shouldn't. We get ours with Whiz and sit down.
First impression? The meat isn't chopped the way it is at Pat's. I'm not sure when I unwrap my sandwich if that's good or bad but I know I can see steak hanging out the side of the bread (that's good; I mean after all I ordered a steak sandwich, right?) and it looks cooked, although maybe a touch dry. But I got a sandwich loaded with Whiz, onions and peppers. Let's dig in!
Whether you choose to believe what you are about to read is your choice. Yes, it's been over four years since I'd had my last cheesesteak in Philadelphia but I swear my memory of what I ate back in February of 2014 over at Pat's is pretty spot on.
I say to you now...the chopping of the meat is pretty darned important. Chopping the meat as Pat's does allows the onions and the Cheez Whiz (yes, the Whiz is applied after the meat is in the roll) to mingle and coagulate in the most delicious way. Geno's is missing this synergy for most of their sandwich. Were there times when the steak, grease, onions and Whiz came together in perfect harmony at Geno's? You bet. For sure! There were some amazing bites. But it wasn't like Pat's four years ago. I know this to be true. Consistency is important. And our sandwiches this past Saturday morning were missing that. Don't get me wrong here. If I had only Geno's steaks to eat for the rest of my life, I wouldn't turn them down. But...
Pat's is better.
There you have it. My take on the Pat's or Geno's debate. I'm a Pat's guy. Next time I'm in Philly and I'm looking for a steak and cheese sandwich, I'm headed to Pat's.
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| My view from Geno's. Staring right at Pat's and the folks gobbling down superior cheesesteaks. |
If you are paying attention and care about the contents of this blog I know I said I wasn't going to blog at all in this thing this summer. This isn't exactly about the Wizards and waiting a couple of months to say I had a cheesesteak in Philadelphia in mid-August just seemed strange. So there you go. See you in September when training camp opens.
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